Agenda Newsletter - April 23, 2007

We're overwhelmed by this year's expanded lineup, too, and not just because Ricki Lake gives birth in Business of Being Born (there are over 200 films!). Vigilante drama The Gardener of Eden and poker comedy The Grand dominate the buzz and have sold out—get tickets at the door. Book now for Tuya's Wedding, which wowed the Berlin Film Fest, or the Donkey Kong doc King of Kong, which wowed us (get more picks here). And for details on the still-to-be-announced free Spider-Man 3 premieres, keep checking our daily "Web" coverage.

We'll leave it to New York theater critic Jeremy McCarter to dissect the finer points of this musical adaptation of the charming movie. But we will say this: Woooooo! That about sums up the mood at an early preview, where cult fans and newbies alike loved the show, roaring to a spastic tribute to Lord of the Dance, and the antics of not one but two scene-stealing stage dogs.

The Best Band Since the Beatles (or Maybe Oasis) might not be bigger than Jesus, but the anticipation for their second album at least ranks them with Santa Claus. So Merry Christmas: Today the manic rhythms and cheeky lyrics that ignited the hype return—along with the sunny, almost mellow "Fluorescent Adolescent," the track to skip to. And we say that the barreling single "Brianstorm" proves they've got superpowers.

Go ahead and have your little July 4 cookout, but celebrate Independence Day for real on the 7th, stretched out on a lawn, listening to the “1812 Overture” thundering from a world-class orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s cannons will top off a night that includes Sousa, Bernstein, and “Peter and the Wolf”—something like fireworks. (Tickets on sale today at 10 a.m.)

Modest Mouse at the United Palace
The indie mainstays return to New York in support of their new album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, on April 29. Want tickets and a copy of the album? Take a chance now

The Spider-Man 3 marketing push invades New York next week, so there’s scant time to introduce your favorite impressionable tween to the web-slinger. Seeing the franchise through high schooler Mary Jane Watson’s eyes, as we so deliciously do in this hardcover collection, freshens the superhero genre in a way no ridiculously epic battle could. The story’s deep, the dialogue spot-on, and the trailer won't give everything away.

The Little Orchestra Society and Music Director Dino Anagnost perform a thrilling evening of music by Antonio Vivaldi entitled Vivaldi's Venice. The concert features the American premiere of Dixit Dominus and violin concertos performed by international award-winner Asmira Woodward-Paige. For tickets, call 212.971.9500. Code NYAG.